Marital quality and diabetes outcomes: The IDEATel project

The relationship between marital quality and diabetes outcomes was explored with participants in the Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine Project (IDEATel), in which elderly Medicare beneficiaries in underserved areas were randomized to a telemedicine intervention or usual care. The subjects (N = 134) completed marital quality measures at baseline, and baseline and 1-yr data (blood glucose control, blood pressure, depression, diabetes distress) were available. At baseline, higher marital stress correlated with poorer blood glucose control and higher depression, and lower marital cohesion correlated with higher systolic blood pressure. In prospective analyses, greater baseline marital stress predicted greater 1-yr depression scores. Two interesting trends for intervention subjects were noted: a trend for greater baseline marital satisfaction to predict improved 1-yr blood glucose control, and a trend for greater baseline marital stress to predict greater 1-yr diabetes distress. Potential reasons for these findings and future research questions are discussed.